Embracing Brokenness

Embracing Brokenness is a journey to healing and wholeness, by teaching how God can use our disappointments to grow us, if we're willing to embrace them. Alan E. Nelson, Ed.D., studied the process of brokenness through scriptures historical and contemporary leaders, along with this own faith journey. While few talk about times of brokenness openly, nearly everyone experiences them deeply. Instead of resisting the pain and avoiding the things that cause them, the counter intuitive solution is that God often uses brokenness to grow our souls. Embracing our brokenness improves healing and catalyzes maturity, resulting in new growth that will only happen through this embrace. People who resist brokenness become the walking wounded and they are all around us, becoming bitter versus better and extending their pain to others. This book is a truly healing read for those who are experiencing broken dreams, healthy, relations, finances, and feeling despondent in general. Hope sprouts new, as you read these contemporary words of wisdom that have aided people throughout time.

Can the phenomena of the human mind be separated from the practices of spiritual formation—of growing to have the mind of Christ? Research into the nature of moral and spiritual change has revived in recent years in the worlds of psychology on one hand and theology and philosophy on the other. But psychology and spiritual formation draw upon distinct bodies of research and theory grounded in different methodologies, resulting in conversation that has suffered from a lack of interdisciplinary cross-pollination. Rooted in a year-long discussion held by Biola University's Center for Christian Thought (CCT), this volume bridges the gaps caused by professional specialization among psychology, theology, and philosophy. Each essay was forged out of an integrative discussion among theologians, psychologists, philosophers, New Testament scholars, educators, and pastors around the CCT seminar table. Topics that emerged included relational and developmental spirituality, moral virtue and judgment, and suffering and trauma. Psychology and Spiritual Formation in Dialogue speaks across disciplinary divides, fostering fruitful conversation for fresh insights into the nature and dynamics of personal spiritual change. Contributors include Justin L. Barrett, School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary Earl D. Bland, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University Ellen T. Charry, Princeton Seminary John H. Coe, Biola University Robert A. Emmons, University of California, Davis Stephen Evans, Baylor University Bruce Hindmarsh, Regent College, Vancouver Marie T. Hoffman, New York University James M. Houston, Regent College, Vancouver Steven J. Sandage, David R. Paine, and Jonathan Morgan, Boston University Siang Yang Tan, School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary Everett L. Worthington, Jr., Brandon J. Griffin, and Caroline R. Lavelock, Virginia Commonwealth University Edited by Thomas M. Crisp, professor of philosophy, Biola University Steve L. Porter, professor of theology, spiritual formation, and philosophy, Talbot School of Theology and Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University Gregg Ten Elshof, professor of philosophy, Biola University Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

A New York Times bestseller! Brokenness doesn't only find us in the big things—things like illness, hardship, or grief. It can find you in the everyday. Learn to walk in a way that glorifies Jesus and receive freedom, not beyond your fear and pain, but within it. We are fragile and we know it. Sometimes, living with Christ in a messed-up world feels less like victory and more like walking uphill. Ann Voskamp, the New York Times bestselling author of One Thousand Gifts, sits at the edge of her life and her own unspoken brokenness and asks: What if you really want to live abundantly before it's too late? What do you do if you really want to know abundant wholeness? This one's for the lovers and the sufferers. This one's for the busted ones who are ready to bust free, the ones ready to break molds, break chains, break measuring sticks, and break all this bad brokenness with an unlikely good brokenness. You could be one of the Beloved who is broken—and still lets yourself be loved. Ann desperately wants you to know: God is attracted to the broken, the sin-sick, and those in need The very things people are most ashamed of are the exact broken things that draw God to his people You can live in the face of your unspoken pain You can discover and trust this broken way—the way to not be afraid of broken things The Broken Way is simple in presentation, written in Ann’s unique style—a new way for desperate Christians in need of a fresh revelation of the grace of God. This ebook includes the full text of the book plus an exclusive section of beautiful photos paired with powerful passages from the text that is not found in the hardcover.

Yvette Maher, a Kentucky farm girl, shares her life’s traumas, trials, and triumphs. Before Yvette became a Christian, she dealt with emotional pain by filling the voids with drugs, alcohol, and empty relationships. Yet God did not abandon her. Through poignant stories laced with humor and irony, Yvette reveals how God has redeemed her devastating childhood by enabling her to forgive her murderous and unfaithful father and cope with her mother’s debilitating depression. She tells how God has blessed her marriage even though she was several months pregnant when she walked down the aisle. Throughout the wild changes that have occurred in Yvette’s life, God has been with her, ever-present and offering grace at each turn.

“Parenting is hard . . . the reality of parenting is that it is really hard. And let’s be honest, if we’re a parent, we do hard things. Creating a family is much more difficult than others seem to view it.” There is an easy solution for so many things these days. Issues with your car? Buy a new one! Issues with your job? Quit and get a new one! Issues with your phone? Change carriers! Raising a family brings with it issues. Issues that aren’t easily solved like the ones above. Raising a family of five was tough. We had ups and downs like any other family. However there were tools, strategies and lots of communication that enabled us to launch all three of our children into educational entrepreneurs just like us. We wanted to write this book as a way for your family to work through issues, questions and the growth of your children. The biggest lie that parents can believe is that they are all alone in the journey of empowering a family. We don’t want you to believe that so we encourage you to grow through learning, navigate through brokenness, empower resilience and embrace the village. Embracing Amazing highlights the author's fifty years of school counseling experience to help you with all the “HARD” that is coming your way as a parent. John and Deborah Lahman didn’t believe the lie that they were alone and neither should you. This books is a great tool for you regardless of where you are on your parenthood journey.

Originally developed by Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Step program now provides life direction for the millions of people worldwide who are recovering from addiction and undergoing profound personal transformation. Yet thus far it has received surprisingly little attention from philosophers, despite the fact that, like philosophy, the program addresses all-important questions regarding how we ought to live. In Sobering Wisdom, Jerome A. Miller and Nicholas Plants offer a unique approach to the Twelve Step program by exploring its spirituality from a philosophical point of view. Drawing on a variety of thinkers from Aristotle to William James and from Nietzsche to Foucault, as well as a diverse range of philosophical perspectives including naturalism, Buddhism, existentialism, Confucianism, pragmatism, and phenomenology, the contributors to this volume address such questions as the relation of personal responsibility to an acknowledgment of powerlessness, the existence of a "higher power," and the role of virtue in recovery. Ranging in tone from deeply scholarly to intensely personal, their essays are written in an accessible way for a broad audience that includes not only philosophers, theologians, and psychologists but also spiritual directors, health professionals, and addiction counselors. Perhaps most important, the book is also conceived for those involved in Twelve Step programs whose lives are being transformed by the experience.

Say no to the perfect lie. Satan would have us believe that we need to do more, achieve all our goals, and be perfect on our own, but that's not what our Savior has said. Learn how to embrace the broken elements in your life and let the Atonement help you become more than you could ever be alone.

None of us are perfect. And that is okay! Trauma, abuse, childhood wounds, and toxic relationships have broken us. But there is no shame in brokenness. In fact, it’s in our brokenness where the healing power of Jesus comes to find us. Brave Enough to Be Broken is a biblical road map you can use to heal from the pain, the shame, and the regrets that have tried to steal your joy, so you can rest in the unconditional love, healing, and hope of Jesus. From Toni Collier, founder of the international women's ministry Broken Crayons Still Color, Brave Enough to Be Broken will show you how to bravely process your brokenness so that you can experience the fullness of God's restoration power. Many of us feel the pressure to be perfect, but what we really want is the freedom to be broken. We long to hear that our brokenness doesn't discount us, and we want a way out of the pain that threatens to overwhelm us. Toni shares practical steps and biblical wisdom to help you stand in your brokenness and experience healing. No perfection required. You’ll learn how to Overcome shame and other inner obstacles blocking you from healing Recognize the harmful effects of trauma and toxic relationships on your mental health Embrace your brokenness so you can help others do the same Hear the voice of Jesus saying “you ARE worthy” when you don’t feel it Accept the unconditional love of Jesus when you surrender your brokenness Brave Enough to Be Broken will guide you to the hope that is found in pain and the beauty that exists in brokenness. It's an invitation to reclaim the wholeness and freedom waiting for you in the fullness of God's purpose for your life.